Info on alternate home heating methods

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It's a log that works in a gas fireplace. :flowers:
Nope, never heard of that either.

Are you saying you can open the door to you gas fireplace and put in a (special) log to burn?

Lost me on this one.
I'm tired and have gone thru, since 7pm (it now 10:20), 3/4 of a box of tissues.
Probably should not have gone to the gym - but if I don't, rain or shine, I might never go back.
Can't stop, mustn't stop, keep going - yada, yada, yada...
 
No, the logs just sit there and look pretty. The gas (and flames) simply flow up around them, and produce heat, if you have it set up that way. I have an attic that can get really cold. Back in the day when it was a functional room, I bought "wood stove" that burned nothing but yielded an artificial flame. It needed to exhaust to the outside.

It is like when you were young, your mother would stick a hot dog on a fork and let you toast it. You stood at the stove dreaming that it was a campfire. The hotdog was toasted and you dreamed of summertime. (If your mother did not do this, we need to address the lapse in your childhood during our road trip. Or at least stop in a place that has a gas fireplace in the lobby.)
 
ahhhh - I get it! Well, I've had fireplaces pretty much most of my life, open face fireplace, an air-tight woodburning fireplace and a gas fireplace (heated the house but looked like the other wood fireplace).
Just had never heard of that kind of a log.
funny story, my ex was over (family affair) during winter and although he knew I did not have a wood burning fireplace but was now gas, tried to open the door to the gas fireplace to throw in some paper. Of course it wouldn't open and he looked a little sheepish.

it was pretty funny. And yes, I did laugh out loud - we get along well, but doesn't mean I can't laugh at his expense, eh?
 
This is a gas fireplace. There is a tray below the pretty realistic ceramic/cement logs. You light it, and it looks pretty close to a wood fire. You can still tell it's not real, but they still look nice, and if you get good ones ($500 bucks and up), they will have a higher amount of ceramic content, which makes them soak up heat and radiate it out into the room. It works a lot like those old ceramic wall heaters from 100 years ago.

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CD
 
Funny story, my ex was over (family affair) during winter and although he knew I did not have a wood burning fireplace but was now gas, tried to open the door to the gas fireplace to throw in some paper. Of course it wouldn't open and he looked a little sheepish.

Some of the newer gas fireplaces have glass covers. They are just for looks. Useless for heating. My sister has one of those. No chimney, just a vent on the wall outside of the fireplace. You even turn the thing on and off with a switch on the wall.

A few of my neighbors and friends went with that option. They wish they had chosen a fireplace like mine. They come over when I have a fire going, and say, "Wow, there's heat coming out!" :ROFLMAO:

CD
 
You have gone and reminded me. My mum had a decorative, cardboard fireplace that she put up every year for Yule. It had fake logs and a spinny thing that sat above a red electric light bulb. The light bulb heated up enough to make the spinny thing turn. This arrangement gave off flickering light that shone in the "fireplace". My mum had a Swedish friend by the name of Bernice. Bernice was a frequent visitor and she knew there was no fireplace in the first house my parents owned. This was back in the 1950s, so smoking in someone's house was commonplace and both of my parents were smokers too. One year at Yule, Bernice had been smoking a cigarette. When she was done, she threw it in the fireplace, which would have been okay with a real fireplace, but not so much in a cardboard one. Luckily someone notice quickly enough that nothing caught on fire. We did have some giggles about that ditziness after she left.
 
When I was a kid, in the second house that my parents owned, we had a wood burning fireplace. It had gas under the thing that you put the logs on. I think the gas was meant for starting the fire. There was a valve next to the fireplace and you had to light the flame with a match, usually one of those really long ones. There were no disposable lighters yet.
 
When I was a kid, in the second house that my parents owned, we had a wood burning fireplace. It had gas under the thing that you put the logs on. I think the gas was meant for starting the fire. There was a valve next to the fireplace and you had to light the flame with a match, usually one of those really long ones. There were no disposable lighters yet.

Yes, my houses all had gas starters in the fireplace. It was a pipe with holes in it. You put the firewood in the rack above the pipe, and turned that valve next to the fireplace, and lit the gas. Once the wood is burning, you can turn the gas off.

My gas logs replaced that gas starter. The valve is just out of the picture above on the right side.

CD
 
Yes, my houses all had gas starters in the fireplace. It was a pipe with holes in it. You put the firewood in the rack above the pipe, and turned that valve next to the fireplace, and lit the gas. Once the wood is burning, you can turn the gas off.

My gas logs replaced that gas starter. The valve is just out of the picture above on the right side.

CD
Can you burn regular logs in your fireplace too?
 
Can you burn regular logs in your fireplace too?

Well, I would have to remove the gas logs, which would be messy. But yes, the fireplace was built to burn wood. But, if you look back at one of my earlier posts, you will see the reasons I don't want to burn wood in my fireplace.

Honestly, I don't know why all the newer (post 1980) homes down here even have fireplaces. We really don't need them (although that one time in 2021 I was glad to have one). They make it hard to set up the furnishings in that room, since one wall is basically not useable for furniture. For a few nights a year, I have a fireplace to enjoy, and friends can come over and sit around the fire. The other 360 days of the year, it's a complete waste of space.

BTW, I hate the ugly ceramic tiles that surround my fireplace. The builder did it, and it was done before I could intervene. When I get one of those rare "Round Tuits," I will replace them with stone tiles.

CD
 
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I wasn't suggesting that it might be a good idea to burn real logs. I was just curious if it was plausible.

I just remembered something unusual my dad burned in that fireplace on one occasion. It was tumbleweeds. I had come home from school on a very windy day and couldn't see the house. It was covered in tumbleweeds.They were flying up along the roof and then over and into the backyard.
 
I wasn't suggesting that it might be a good idea to burn real logs. I was just curious if it was plausible.

That's how I took your question, just curiosity.

I have a fire pit in my backyard. I rarely use that, either. I love a good, real wood fire. My chimney just wasn't properly designed to burn real wood without enduring a lot of smoke in the house.

Texas homes are not what you would build in Canada, just as Canadian homes would not be ideal in Texas. Like I said, I don't know why every home built after 1980 in Texas cities have fireplaces. It's like having a swimming pool in Edmonton. Why, so you can play hockey on it?

CD
 
In Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, summer temperatures can reach into the 30s °C (80s °F). The average daily high temperature in July is 74°F (23°C).
there are pools - not a lot, mostly above-ground, very few in-ground. and no, the temps aren't in the 90's or above but it's summer! They also have air conditioning.
My wood burning stove - main source of heat for the house. (summer time, dogs see bat inside, one dog in front.. Maya behind the stove waiting for Grimlock to chase the bat to her.
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when I finally couldn't do the wood anymore I got a gas stove like the one pictured above. Mine was a deep Victorian red.
Thermostat controlled, switch was on the wall. I knew I would miss the wood and I did, but life goes on.
There is still nothing like the smell, sound of burning wood in a fireplace - so comforting.
@caseydog your room should be focused on the fireplace, decorate to it. I'll bet if you didn't have it during that cold spelll you would have moaned about not having one. Even if it's only in need once every 5 years it is worth it. You can still use it on chilly days - not mainly for heat but for ambiance, comfort, deep down inside pleasure.
You camped - did you not enjoy sitting around the fireplace? Your home fireplace helps reminisce about times you enjoyed - not necessarily you want to camp again, but the memories are great!

oops, sorry - bandwagon's leaving.
 
You camped - did you not enjoy sitting around the fireplace? Your home fireplace helps reminisce about times you enjoyed - not necessarily you want to camp again, but the memories are great!

I haver an outdoor fire pit. That is a lot more like a campfire.

CD
 
Of course it is! Butttttt just to belabour the point. One evening, a little nasty outside, grab your tea, coffee, cold drink, hot drink, what ever... head for the living room - CLIC - on comes a beautiful little fire - relax - enjoy your evening - ahhh sigh, how nice.

Now think - that same evening.... you gonna go outside, build a fire in the pit and sit there to enjoy for an hour? Turn off and go in?
Nope, you're gonna head straight for your man-cave and watch some stupid team of hunks do brain damage to each other.
 
Of course it is! Butttttt just to belabour the point. One evening, a little nasty outside, grab your tea, coffee, cold drink, hot drink, what ever... head for the living room - CLIC - on comes a beautiful little fire - relax - enjoy your evening - ahhh sigh, how nice.

Now think - that same evening.... you gonna go outside, build a fire in the pit and sit there to enjoy for an hour? Turn off and go in?
Nope, you're gonna head straight for your man-cave and watch some stupid team of hunks do brain damage to each other.
I disagree,
But then I cook on my outdoor pit quite often and I can sit outside for most of the year
Except for now, rainy season
 
Of course it is! Butttttt just to belabour the point. One evening, a little nasty outside, grab your tea, coffee, cold drink, hot drink, what ever... head for the living room - CLIC - on comes a beautiful little fire - relax - enjoy your evening - ahhh sigh, how nice.

Now think - that same evening.... you gonna go outside, build a fire in the pit and sit there to enjoy for an hour? Turn off and go in?
Nope, you're gonna head straight for your man-cave and watch some stupid team of hunks do brain damage to each other.

I have the best of both worlds. I have my gas log fireplace inside, for when I just want to be warm and enjoy the view a fire in a fireplace, usually with a dog sleeping in front of it.

Then, I have my backyard fire pit under an enormous oak tree, with a flat, stabile crushed gravel surface to put some camping chairs on. I can light up a cigar, warm my feet by the fire (built with wood trimmed off of the giant oak tree), and pretend I'm camping in the woods. Bonus, I have my choice of three indoor flush toilets in heated rooms when the need arises. (y)

CD
 
I said that under the impression that you thought gas fireplaces in Texas were useless and unnecessary and spoils the ability to decorate the room.
 
I said that under the impression that you thought gas fireplaces in Texas were useless and unnecessary and spoils the ability to decorate the room.

Well... yeah, pretty much. I had to arrange my living room around the fireplace that I use five days a year, at the most. There was no way to put a decent size TV in that room. Since I also have a loft, I made that into a home theater, so my living room is just a place to sit, and entertain guests.

CD
 
With many homes now having dedicated "Family Rooms" or "TV Rooms" all those living rooms are, like yours, rarely used anymore.
 
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